Ex-Macon cat rescue director charged in $88,000 theft case

The former head of a nonprofit animal shelter in Macon who last summer was accused of misappropriating money donated to the shelter was taken into custody Monday on charges related to the allegations.

Anne Brennaman, ex-director of Macon Purrs N Paws on Riverside Drive, is charged with fiduciary theft.

Brennaman, 59, was been booked into the Bibb County jail Monday night.

A Bibb sheriff's report filed last August, citing a shelter volunteer's claims, alleged that Brennaman "was using Pay Pal (and) business checks for personal use."

In the report, the volunteer told cops that Brennaman had taken "a large amount" of money that had been given to the shelter and used it for "overseas trips" and "personal expenses."

Authorities now believe the allegedly misused funds totaled slightly more than $88,000.

Last summer, Brennaman told The Telegraph that the accusation was "baseless" and that her lawyer had "documentation" showing how the money had been spent.

Last week, Brennaman sued a group of animal-rescue workers she claims improperly engineered her ouster from Purrs N Paws.

In her lawsuit, she contended that associates of what is now known as Kitty City Cat Rescue "conspired to remove" her from her position as Purrs N Paws president.

The civil action filed in Bibb County Superior Court names four people as defendants.

The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment, contending that Kitty City and the four other defendants with past ties to Purrs N Paws held an improper board meeting that Brennaman claims she should have been made aware of. The suit says the board's bylaws stipulated that she be notified of such gatherings.

Brennaman also claims to have suffered "severe emotional distress" and that the defendants "uttered false and disparaging words with malice" about her and have "wrongfully accused" her of a crime.

The suit does not specifically mention last year's theft allegation.

To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-3497.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Ex-Macon cat rescue director charged in $88,000 theft case ."